Goods to Follow-- Duty to be paid or not

[harn61]

Hi team,
hope you all are doing great.

Summary:

1. I got COPR in August 2014 and was given a one year single entry visa.
2. I landed at Toronto with my family in July 2015. I DID NOT submit any "Goods to follow" list at the airport since I had no plan to ship/cargo any stuff later on. I stayed there for 2 weeks and return back to my job and life in Pakistan.

3. I went to Toronto again without family in October 2017 but for 4 days only.
4. I have been transferred to Canada by my company and I will start working there from 1st week of May.
5. Company has given me relocation package for which I can cargo my household stuffs (furniture etc etc) to Canada; therefore I have shipped my stuffs.

I have shipped the cargo as it will take 2 months to reach Mississauga destination.

Question:

Now, then when I will reach Toronto airport, I will submit my "Good to follow" list... will I be treated as a Settler or not?

in other words, I will come under duty exempted criteria as mentioned in this link ?

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/mrc-drc-eng.html



OR

Will i NOT be treated as a settler since I did not submitted "Goods to follow" list at the FIRST LANDING which I did in july 2015. In this case, I will have to pay some hefty duty?

many thanks

Br/Haroon

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

You would be considered as settler and can import items duty free. You somehow need to ensure that a copy of stamped GTF is with mover when your goods cross border else you will need to pay duty.

 

[scylla]

Hi team,
hope you all are doing great.

Summary:

1. I got COPR in August 2014 and was given a one year single entry visa.
2. I landed at Toronto with my family in July 2015. I DID NOT submit any "Goods to follow" list at the airport since I had no plan to ship/cargo any stuff later on. I stayed there for 2 weeks and return back to my job and life in Pakistan.

3. I went to Toronto again without family in October 2016 but for 4 days only.
4. I have been transferred to Canada by my company and I will start working there from 1st week of May.
5. Company has given me relocation package for which I can cargo my household stuffs (furniture etc etc) to Canada; therefore I have shipped my stuffs.

I have shipped the cargo as it will take 2 months to reach Mississauga destination.

Question:

Now, then when I will reach Toronto airport, I will submit my "Good to follow" list... will I be treated as a Settler or not?

in other words, I will come under duty exempted criteria as mentioned in this link ?

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/mrc-drc-eng.html



OR

Will i NOT be treated as a settler since I did not submitted "Goods to follow" list at the FIRST LANDING which I did in july 2015. In this case, I will have to pay some hefty duty?

many thanks

Br/Haroon

Is your spouse a Canadian citizen?

 

[harn61]

Is your spouse a Canadian citizen?

my spouse is not a Canadian citizen... she is a PR card holder.

 

[drasticinput]

We had this query answered by the Officer at the Declaration Counter (Goods to Declare).

In our case, we had jewelry which needed to be accompanied with a surveyor report. As gold is dynamic in pricing, we only mentioned a price range. Without the surveyor report, the officer refused to stamp our document. We were advised that we have up to one year to bring in the good.

I asked the officer, what if I plan to bring the items intermittently? He responded "It should not be a problem if the items are yours" before adding, "There is no regulation, so it depends on the officer at the desk."

However, based on logic, if you're able to prove the the items are for personal use and not commercial use, you are sorted.

 

[harn61]

thanks dear.

so you had jewelry too in GTF list?
What if my spouse do bring some jewelry (wearing it) as accompanied goods; do we need surveyor report for it as well?

We had this query answered by the Officer at the Declaration Counter (Goods to Declare).

In our case, we had jewelry which needed to be accompanied with a surveyor report. As gold is dynamic in pricing, we only mentioned a price range. Without the surveyor report, the officer refused to stamp our document. We were advised that we have up to one year to bring in the good.

I asked the officer, what if I plan to bring the items intermittently? He responded "It should not be a problem if the items are yours" before adding, "There is no regulation, so it depends on the officer at the desk."

However, based on logic, if you're able to prove the the items are for personal use and not commercial use, you are sorted.

 

[drasticinput]

We carried detailed lists. The form allows only 6 fields so we have excel sheets with Jewelry, Electronics (including their serial numbers), Clothes and Shoes, Household equipment, books and misc items. The more detailed it is, the less questions are asked.

We had the following fields > Name, actual image, weight (for jewelry), current price (based on gold prices)

Electronics> Name, actual picture, IMEI/Serial number, year of purchase, current depreciated value

If your jewelry is limited, you can wear it on your person without any issues.

Also, We carried USD 9,000 Each and still declared it on the form (though you're only liable to declare CAD 10,000 and above). It's all about create credibility with the officers.

 

[harn61]

Is your spouse a Canadian citizen?

hi Scylla,

hope you are doing great..

having Canadian/non-Canadian spouse matter with this query?

good day.
Br/Haroon

 

[harn61]

hi,, just to update:

Good to follow and Good accompanying forms were stamped without any issues.

regards

 

[NicolasHenri]

We had this query answered by the Officer at the Declaration Counter (Goods to Declare).

In our case, we had jewelry which needed to be accompanied with a surveyor report. As gold is dynamic in pricing, we only mentioned a price range. Without the surveyor report, the officer refused to stamp our document. We were advised that we have up to one year to bring in the good.

I asked the officer, what if I plan to bring the items intermittently? He responded "It should not be a problem if the items are yours" before adding, "There is no regulation, so it depends on the officer at the desk."

However, based on logic, if you're able to prove the the items are for personal use and not commercial use, you are sorted.

hello @drasticinput ,

what will be the criteria where surveyor report is required? in your case, are you able to bring with you the jewelries?

thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[drasticinput]

hello @drasticinput ,

what will be the criteria where surveyor report is required? in your case, are you able to bring with you the jewelries?

thank you for sharing your experience.

Hello Nicolas,

There was no specific criteria (at least in my case) where I had to do this. As I invest in physical gold (in form of jewelry as it keeps the wife happy), I have a considerable chunk.

My intention was only to declare that we have all this jewelry as assets and not necessarily in our possession. I never intended to bring all the jewelry in at once, especially with initial days settling down in Canada from a safety perspective. The intention was to create a record of total volume of gold owned for future reference. I hope this helps

 

[NicolasHenri]

Hello Nicolas,

There was no specific criteria (at least in my case) where I had to do this. As I invest in physical gold (in form of jewelry as it keeps the wife happy), I have a considerable chunk.

My intention was only to declare that we have all this jewelry as assets and not necessarily in our possession. I never intended to bring all the jewelry in at once, especially with initial days settling down in Canada from a safety perspective. The intention was to create a record of total volume of gold owned for future reference. I hope this helps

hello @drasticinput ,

I understand now your situation, we doesn't have that much of jewelries but looking to your experience, it will be in a safe side to get a surveyor report just to speed up the process.

Thank you for getting back to me that quick.